The Celtics’ trip to the Eastern Conference Finals ended with a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat, and Boston star Jayson Tatum wasn’t shy about addressing what went wrong for his team during the series.
Despite a valiant effort to overcome a 3-0 deficit and force a decisive Game 7, the Celtics ultimately fell short, losing 103-84 to the resilient Heat. Speaking after the game, Tatum acknowledged the team’s struggles, particularly on their home court.
Tatum stated, “It’s not hard to play at home. We didn’t play well in the first two home games of this series and they did. They played well tonight and we didn’t. You don’t want it to be like that. It’s called home court advantage for a reason.” What. It’s not difficult to play here. We have great fans. I hope the result will be different in the home matches.”
The Celtics’ three losses at home proved to be a significant factor in the outcome of the series. Tatum also acknowledged that their overall performance throughout the series was not up to par, citing specific moments where they failed.
“We didn’t play well enough to win this series for most of it,” Tatum admitted. “Bad third quarter in game one and bad fourth quarter in game two. They beat us in the third. We didn’t play well at all. We won three in a row. And then it was a tough night. So, we didn’t play well enough to win this series.”